"certain men clave unto Paul, and believed." Theirs then was good ground, which heareth the word and understandeth it; and also beareth fruit. The sower doth not always sow in vain.

And he has a further reason for hope, that though he may now go on his way weeping," still he may return with joy, and "bring his sheaves with him." In nature there are soils which cannot be amended: the clay, the sand, the rock, will never repay the husbandman. But there are no hearts which cannot be amended. Man has to do with the soil, and his power is limited; but God has to do with the heart, and his power has no limit; and produces such a change in the lightest, the hardest, the most unreclaimed and uncultivated ground, that it may "bring forth fruit unto holiness, and the end, everlasting life." Who so light and unstable as the apostle Peter? Now saying, "Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee:" and a very short time after affirming with an oath, "I know not the man." Who so slow to conviction as the apostle Thomas? Who more prejudiced than Saul, “a blasphemer, and persecutor, and injurious?" Yet what a change in these soils, under the renewing grace of the Holy Spirit! How bold did Peter become? Thomas, how faithful! Paul, how zealous! how eager to convince his countrymen that there was no salvation except through that name which he had so long blasphemed? Thus proving that what is impossible with man, is possible with God: who, where he sees fit, can make what was useless profitable, and what was barren fruitful.

Those who are to teach, and those who are to learn, must equally bear in mind that "the preparation of the heart is from the Lord:" that his grace must soften the ground that it may receive the word sown. For "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 4

But while a consciousness of this makes you distrust yourselves, and sends you to earnest prayer: still remember, and be comforted by the remembrance, that the Jews were rejected because they were wilfully dull of hearing, and their eyes they closed, lest they should be converted. God beholds from "afar off" the heart which is ready to take in the seed of truth; and heaven and earth shall pass away, sooner than one penitent or simple. soul shall perish for lack of knowledge.

LECTURE XXXIV.

PARABLE OF THE TARES.

MATT. xiii. 24-43.

24. Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

41 Cor. ii. 14.

N

Mark iv. 30-32.

25. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

26. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

27. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

The

28. He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gathem up?

29. But he said, Nay: lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

30. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

31. Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:

32. Which indeed is the least of all seeds; but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

33. Another parable spake he unto them: The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

In the two last of these parables, the gradual but sure progress of the gospel in the world is described. When our Lord was now sowing the word, it was indeed the least of all seeds; but under the fostering care of God, it has become a tree, stretching forth its branches into the most distant lands, and giving shelter to multitudes. So likewise in its origin it might be justly compared to leaven hid in three measures of meal. It was, at first, hid in a remote province of the Roman empire. But, like leaven, it

gradually penetrated and pervaded the mass of heathenism, and rendered a large portion of mankind useful and valuable, fit for the purposes of Him by whom the leaven came.

"O Lord, how marvellous are thy works," both of nature and of grace! In wisdom hast thou done "The earth is full of thy riches:" and grant that our hearts may be also!

them all.

34. All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them.

35. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables: I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

36. Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

37. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man:

38. The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one. 39. The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

40. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

41. The Son of man shall send forth his angels; and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity :

42. And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

43. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun, in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

1 Ps. lxxviii. 2.

The special object of this parable is to show, that in the world, and even in that part of the wide field of the world where the gospel is planted and flourishing, God permits to grow up together unto the harvest, the righteous and the unrighteous;-the children of the wicked one, those who follow the works of Satan, and the children of the kingdom, those who are living for his everlasting kingdom, and for whom it is designed. This is exactly what we see the good and the bad mixed together in the same congregation, in the same family, in the same service, in the same business; living together, conversing together, working together, trading together. And it is easy to perceive how this answers God's general purposes respecting mankind.

1. It suits his purpose as regards the righteous. It furnishes the trial of their faith ; it proves their sincerity in his sight, and in the sight of angels, and in the sight of men; it shows whether there be such a heart in them, that they will stedfastly keep his commandments, instead of following a multitude to do evil. We may lament indeed that tares have grown up where good seed was sown: that the corn is liable to be overrun by them; that the righteous should be endangered by bad example and hurtful persuasion. But this is not a perfect world, either in nature or in grace; it is sadly defaced by the consequences of sin. An enemy hath done this: has corrupted man; has brought sin into the world which had been created "very good." Therefore · we are obliged to "strive to enter in at the strait gate;" therefore must we labour, that we may obtain: and it is one part of our labour and our diffi